Review Summary

Raised Right is a family-owned pet food company that produces premium food and treats for cats and dogs. It is one of the most transparent pet food companies that meets all the Association of American Feed Control Officials’ (AAFCO) requirements for a complete and balanced dog diet. The company provides plenty of video footage and documents of how their recipes are made and what they contain.

The ingredients of Raised Right’s dog food are sourced from farms located all over the United States and produced in a human-grade facility. Each batch is tested for pathogens, and this company has a clean recall history to date.

Raised Right dog food is a worthwhile option to explore if you have a dog with food allergies or a sensitive stomach. All recipes contain 10 ingredients or less and only use whole foods. However, the recipes do contain a lot of protein. So, if your dog has specific health issues, particularly with the kidney or liver, they may not be safe for your dog.

We’ve had one of our own beloved dogs sample several Raised Right recipes, and we paid attention to all the details from start to finish. Based on our observations, we can confidently say that we had a generally positive experience.

Here’s everything you need to know about Raised Right and why it’s worth considering.

At a Glance: What We Reviewed

Raised Right Dog Food Review

Who Makes Raised Right and Where Is It Produced?

Raised Right is a family-owned business that was founded in 2016 by Braeden Ruud, Larry Ruud, and Mary Ann Ruud. The company works with veterinarian, Dr. Karen Becker, and together, they have developed several whole food recipes for cats and dogs.

The company headquarters is in Rye, New York. All the ingredients are sourced from farms throughout the United States, and the food is cooked in a human-grade facility. Every batch of food gets cooked in low temperatures that preserve high levels of moisture and nutrients while meeting the USDA pathogen kill-step.

Which Types of Dog is Raised Right Best Suited For?

Raised Right offers food for all life stages, including puppies and pregnant and lactating dogs. All the recipes are high in protein and low in carbs, so they can be great for athletic dogs and working dogs that need the calories to maintain their active lifestyle.

The recipes are also great for dogs that have food allergies and sensitive stomachs. They don’t contain a mixture of numerous ingredients, and each one only uses one source of meat. Raised Right also only develops whole-food recipes that don’t contain any synthetic vitamins and minerals. So, you know exactly what your dog is eating, and you don’t have to worry about confusing food labels.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that low-carb diets aren’t always good for dogs. For example, pregnant and nursing dogs do better when they have carbs in their diet. Also, high-protein diets may actually do more harm than good for some dogs. Dogs with kidney and liver diseases may end up overworking these organs if they consume too much protein.

So, even though Raised Right markets its food as suitable for all kinds of dogs, make sure to consult with your veterinarian first. Your veterinarian’s assessment will be invaluable for dogs with specific health concerns and chronic diseases.

Discussion of the Primary Ingredients (Good and Bad)

Raised Right has some of the easiest ingredient lists to read because they’re short and only contain whole foods.

Main Ingredients

With Raised Right producing high-protein formulas, the meat and meat organs are always the first ingredients on the ingredient lists. All the recipes consist of at least 60% or more protein on a dry matter basis, except for the Original Pork Adult Recipe, which consists of 57% protein on a dry matter basis.

Other Nutrients

Animal organs are rich in nutrients, such as folate, iron, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin A.

Another ingredient to keep in mind is the organic spearmint. Spearmint also contains antioxidants, and it can also help freshen up your dog’s breath. However, it doesn’t give off the most appealing scent or flavor to dogs. You can smell hints of mint in some Raised Right recipes, which will smell stronger to a dog’s nose, and it may be unappetizing for some dogs.

Limited Ingredients

Raised Right recipes contain a transparent and limited ingredient list while meeting all the Association of American Feed Control Officials’ (AAFCO) requirements for a complete and balanced diet. All the ingredients are traceable, and some are also organic.

Since each dog food recipe uses a single source of animal meat, it’s a safe choice for dogs with food allergies. You can easily avoid feeding them any food allergens and prevent allergic reactions.

Transparency

Part of Raised Right’s branding is its transparency and building trust. One of the most significant things this company did was proactively submit its recipes to Check Your Pet Food for testing and published its results to the public. So, you have access to viewing every single little detail about the dog food.

Each batch of dog food is also lab tested for any contamination from pathogens that can make your dog feel sick. No food ever ships to customers if it doesn’t pass Raise Right’s quality control.

Customized Meal Plan

Raised Right offers some customizations for your dog’s meal plan. You place your first order through completing a brief questionnaire through the company website. The questionnaire will ask for general information, such as your dog’s life stage, activity level, and if it requires weight management. Once you provide this information, Raised Right will generate an ideal food plan, and you can select the types of recipes you want to feed your dog.

Packaging is a Little Lacking

We’ve found the packaging for Raised Right to be a little lacking compared to other subscription dog food meal plans. First, our order came with multiple bags filled with dry ice. While this kept the dog food frozen, it was difficult to dispose of the large quantity of ice. We also had to be extra careful about not coming in contact with the dry ice and injuring ourselves.

The dog food also comes in large 16-ounce packages, which is fine if you have a big dog with larger feeding portions. However, it can get pretty inconvenient if you have a smaller dog that eats smaller portions and takes a longer time to finish a bag. The bags also aren’t resealable, so you have to put them in a container to prevent spills in your refrigerator.

The food has a shelf life of 6 days after you open the bag. So, it can be challenging to finish up all the contents in a bag when you’re in the transition period and you’re slowly switching out the old dog food with Raised Right dog food.

Keep in mind that this food is perishable, and it cannot be left out for free-feeding. So, you do have to add designated feeding times to your schedule if you’re used to leaving out kibble for your dog.

A Quick Look at Raised Right Dog Food

Reviews of the Raised Right Dog Food We Tried

We sampled some of Raised Right’s popular recipes with our own dog. Here are the details that you need to know about each recipe:

1. Original Chicken Adult Dog Recipe

The Original Chicken Adult Dog Recipe was our favorite out of all the recipes. It lists chicken thigh, chicken heart, and chicken liver as the first three ingredients. It also contains a reasonable number of calories, with 350 calories per cup.

The rest of the ingredients are nutrient-dense. The combination of carrots and cranberries add valuable vitamins and minerals, including calcium, iron, vitamin C, vitamin E, and various B vitamins. Cranberries can also help with lowering the risk of contracting urinary tract infections.

While each ingredient is purposeful and nutritious, they may not be the most palatable for dogs. Along with containing organic spearmint, this recipe also contains cranberries, which can taste too tart for some dogs. So, picky dogs may not enjoy this recipe.

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2. Original Beef Adult Recipe

The Original Beef Adult Recipe consists of nearly the same ingredients as the Original Chicken Adult Recipe, except that the chicken is replaced with beef. Along with beef, the recipe contains beef heart and beef liver. Liver is an immensely nutritionally dense food and contains large quantities of folate, iron, vitamin B, vitamin A, and copper.

This recipe contains the highest number of calories out of all the other Raised Right recipes. So, it can be a good source of energy for active dogs, but it may lead to significant weight gain for low-energy dog breeds.

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3. Original Pork Adult Recipe

The Original Pork Adult Recipe lists pork, pork heart, and pork liver as the first three ingredients. While pork can raise concerns about contamination, each batch of this recipe must pass through strict quality control for pathogens before distribution. So, you can rest assured in knowing that your dog won’t get sick from food poisoning.

The recipe also contains blueberries, which is a superfood and a great source of antioxidants, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, and manganese.

Our Experience With Raised Right

I ordered and received several different Raised Right adult dog food recipes. The ordering process was simple and straightforward and was similar to the process of many other subscription dog food companies. I completed a short questionnaire and was presented with recommended recipes and serving portions.

I received the shipment in a timely manner, and the packaging ensured that the food arrived frozen. When I first opened the box, I saw a layer of bagged dry ice. I had to be extremely careful removing the bags and disposing of the large quantities of dry ice was a bit of an inconvenient process.

Each food package took about 8 hours to thaw completely. I didn’t run into too many issues with this. However, it can be a challenge to remember to thaw new packages if feeding your dog frozen dog food is a new experience for you. I did forget to move one package from the freezer to the fridge, but it was easy to quickly thaw the package by running it under hot water.

The food itself had the consistency of a pate, and you could see some pieces of food, such as shreds of carrots and blueberry skins.

My dog is a relatively picky eater, so I’m always hesitant about feeding her new food. However, she loved the chicken and turkey recipes and gobbled them up. She did eat the beef and pork recipes, but she wasn’t as enthusiastic. I noticed that the beef and pork recipes smelled more strongly of spearmint, and this could have been what was off-putting for her.

As the owner of a dog with a sensitive stomach, it was nice to know that I didn’t have to worry about ambiguous ingredients because each recipe contained no more than 10 ingredients.

Due to my dog’s sensitive stomach, I had to be extra mindful about transitioning her to the new Raised Right recipes. Once she completely switched to one recipe, it was easy to transition her to the other ones because they all contained similar ingredients. By following Raised Right’s transition guide, my dog was able to enjoy the food without getting an upset stomach.

Overall, I had a positive experience with Raised Right’s dog food. What really stood out to me is Raised Right’s transparency and vigilant quality control procedures. Other than some minor packaging mishaps, Raised Right delivered premium, high-quality dog food, and my dog was happy and content with eating delicious, fresh food every day.

Conclusion

Raised Right is a dog food company that values their customers’ trust, and it has a clean track record so far. Since it produces limited-ingredient recipes, each ingredient is highly nutritious and selected with great care.

Premium dog food can be expensive, but Raised Right is worth the consideration, especially if you’re having a hard time finding recipes for a dog with food allergies. You won’t find many other pet food companies that use a limited selection of nutritious whole food ingredients and are as transparent as Raised Right.

• See also: Kindfull Dog Food Review: Pros & Cons and Recalls